


A stitch in time

by ColorfulStabwound



Series: The chronicles of Teddy and James [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Frottage, Hogwarts, M/M, Quidditch, Room of Requirement, Snogging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 07:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2613653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorfulStabwound/pseuds/ColorfulStabwound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When it is just the two of you it is easy to shed the masks that you both wear. You don’t have to be the smart mouthed Potter and he doesn’t have to be the responsible adult, you are just Jamie and he is just Teddy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A stitch in time

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All Hallows Eve](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2501636) by [unkissed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unkissed/pseuds/unkissed). 



> The events here take place following the events in All Hallows Eve by Unkissed, which is linked right up there^. 
> 
> As always, endless thanks to my friend, writing partner and muse, Unkissed.
> 
> For Teddy, the only person James could ever truly love.

“Just trust me, its here, I know it.” Your words are hissed impatiently over your shoulder without really looking because your features are screwed together in concentration. You’re cutting a clean path back and forth in front of a smoothed over section of stonewall in a particular seventh floor corridor.  For his part Teddy is looking highly dubious and when he is fairly certain that you are full of it he turns his attention to the worn tapestry on the wall opposite and wrinkles his nose.

 

“Ew gods, no wonder this thing is hidden up here. Trolls in tutus is wrong on so many levels.” Teddy leans closer to the dirty artifact and then shudders at its depiction before he glances back over his shoulder at you.

 

“Shut up for a second will you? I’m trying to concentrate.” You say this without any real ire and you close your eyes as you pace back and forth, trying to remember everything that your father and your uncle Ron had _accidently_ told you about the Room of Requirement one night at the Burrow after a few too many.

 

“Great need…Great need…” You are muttering to yourself and although you don’t see it, Teddy is highly amused by your failed attempts and has turned around and leaned against the wall to watch you. “I _need_ a proper place to snog Teddy Lupin.” You add with a wry grin and then you peek one eye open to peer at the smooth surface and instantly scowl. “Professor Lupin?” You amend and the wall does not change.

 

“My dad made this sound so bloody simple.” Your mouth pulls down into a frown and you stop pacing and lean your cheek against the cool stones. 

 

“Come on baby, don’t be shy, I don’t bite… _Hard._ ” You say this as your fingertips stroke the wall in a loving manner that makes Teddy flush uncomfortably behind you.

 

 “Ahem. Why don’t you er, let me try?” Teddy steps up behind you and drops a hand to your shoulder in an attempt to distract you because he isn’t really sure how long he can stand here and watch you dirty talk a bloody wall.

 

“Fine, but remember. Great need.” You nod knowingly and step aside; doubtful that he can succeed where you have failed.

 

Teddy stares at the blank wall for a long moment, slowly clearing the compartments of his mind. He has also heard a story or two about this particular trick of the castle and he knows that you need to be specific, although he doesn’t tell _you_ that tiny detail.  Instead of wishing for someplace to _snog,_ Teddy focuses his thoughts on a place that you can be alone and not found, a place for things yet discovered. Of course he knows this is a terrible idea, the last thing him or you need right now is to be alone together, but he’d already disregarded the intelligent parts of his brain that were telling him to leave this corridor. And besides, maybe he really _did_ just want a place he could shut you up for a little while with some snogs.

 

Teddy paced back and forth three times in front of the smooth wall and thought about his private place the entire time and when the door magically appeared right in the middle of it you let out an impressed grunt behind him.  “Shit Teddy, you actually did it!” You said around a large grin and then you reached for his hand and opened the door.

 

Halloween was a fortnight gone and since then you and Teddy had been slowly fueling the fire that joined the both of you together. Of course, there had to be secrecy and tact. Teddy was still a Professor and you were still a student, but that didn’t stop you, and you were still ensconced in a state of shock that Teddy actually loved you back. You didn’t need to corner him in his office after curfew anymore only to leave a in a huff a short while later, because, after everything – all of the mutual pain and heartache, you finally had the one thing that you wanted the most.

 

“Only for a little while.” He whispers in your ear as the door shuts behind you and you nod slowly as you step a bit farther into the room and have a look around.

 

The room is massive and circular with ceilings vaulted so high that the shadows swallowed them up. There were several corridors marked by lit torches in sconces leading off of the main room you were standing in and even _you_ could not deny that you were impressed.  “What the hell did you ask for?” You say quietly, glancing over your shoulder at him and arching a brow. “Things yet discovered.” He murmurs, equally distracted by his awe of this impressive space that seemingly appeared just for him.

 

You snort playfully and mutter a something about Ravenclaws under your breath as he takes your hand and gives it a squeeze. “Let’s check it out.” He says softly and then he chooses a corridor at random and leads you down the shadowy path. 

 

When it is just the two of you it is easy to shed the masks that you both wear. You don’t have to be the smart mouthed Potter and he doesn’t have to be the responsible adult, you are just Jamie and he is just Teddy. You hazard a glance at him sidelong as you walk side by side down the hall and you can’t help but smile to yourself because he looks so much younger and so much more like _Teddy_ when he isn’t trying so hard to be the grown up that he thinks he needs to be all the time.  You covet these moments when he can just be himself and although to him it might look like you are just looking for the next place for the two of you to snog, you are really searching for the next moment he can be free because you love him and you love seeing him in this oft-hidden light. You know that it won’t always be like this. Next year you won’t be here to steal these moments with him, and although you are fucking ecstatic to finally be 18 (for a myriad of reasons), you are still going to miss seeing him every day.

 

“Shall we?” He says at your side, effectively snapping you out of your musings. You smile and nod as he reaches for the first doorknob in a long line of shuttered doors stretching out of sight along the corridor. When he pushes the door open you both stand there for a minute peering inside. “Well that’s boring.” You snort loudly and roll your eyes at the empty room that lie beyond, unsure of what to make of such a thing. “Congratulations Teddy, we’ve just discovered an unfurnished room. I can die happy.”   Teddy flashes you a look of mild impatience before closing the door and moving on to the next one, but says nothing. 

 

The next room is exactly like the last one and when Teddy frowns you cannot help but chuckle smugly between your teeth. Five more rooms down the line and you are no longer trying to hide your impatience because as brilliant as it is to be alone with Teddy, all you really want to feel right now is his mouth on yours. 

 

“Wait a minute…” He says as you are about to shut the door on yet another empty room and he stops you with a hand on yours, which makes you glance curiously in his direction.  “Maybe we’re doing this wrong.” He adds with a shrug and then he pushes the door back open and steps inside.

 

The moment he steps into the room he vanishes and you stand there staring at the blank space he was occupying only moments before. “What the hell?” You blink a couple of times and peer into the empty room and you are just starting to panic when a hand reaches out of nowhere and tugs you inside.

 

After a short yelp of surprise you find yourself standing in a forest, although it really isn’t a forest at all. Teddy is standing in front of you and grinning proudly and your mouth snaps shut because you are uncharacteristically void of anything smart to say. “Brilliant, right?” He says, and when your eyes move around the space you are inclined to agree.

 

Of course you are both still within the castle, although the walls of the room depict a fathomless wooded forest that appear to go on for miles. When you step close enough to brush your fingers across the rugged bark of the trees you feel smooth and solid wall instead, which is both confusing and impressive.  Beneath your feet the carpet looks like weeded grass and you even kneel down to touch that too because the illusion is _so_ real. You don’t understand the purpose of this room, but you cannot deny that it is a pretty fucking brilliant ruse. 

 

When you stand back up Teddy is watching you from behind a fond smile and you grin back at him and shrug a shoulder. “Now I wonder what was in the rest of those rooms.” You say a bit wistfully and when he laughs, the dulcet tone sends a shiver right through you.

 

“Things yet discovered.” He murmurs, suddenly a hell of a lot closer to you than he had been only moments before. You turn to face him; your eyes level with one another. His smile is different now and you do not miss the way the corners of his mouth curl upwards delicately or how his lips quiver almost imperceptibly when he looks at you.

 

When Teddy reaches for you, your breath catches in your throat and you don’t know if the feel of his arms around you is ever something that you will get used to outside of your dreams and nightmares. His breath is warm against your cheek and your head tilts obediently for him as he wraps you up in a tight embrace.  Your insides are a myriad of juxtaposed emotions and when he kisses you, every single one of them explodes like firecrackers behind your shuttered eyelids. No one could ever possibly make you feel the way Teddy does, you know that with more certainty now, than you ever did. Stolen kisses and revenge sex was nothing compared to what he does to you and you feel like a child grasping at straws when you are in his arms. When your arms circle him he visibly shudders beneath his clothing and you are momentarily emboldened by the clear reactions you stir within him. The kiss isn’t frantic or hurried like most of the desperate snogs you’ve shared together, it’s different, and he takes his time with you because that is how he wants it to be this time. Sure, you are still the impatient teenage boy who is practically starving for Teddy’s attention, but you don’t mind the slow and drawn out way his lips move over yours or the way his tongue slides slowly against the roof of your mouth because this is Teddy and he is _finally_ being honest with the both of you.

 

By the time your lips part from his, your chest is constricted painfully from lack of oxygen and you hardly notice. He rests his forehead against yours and lets his eyes fall closed for just a minute or two. When he pulls back enough to peer at you he is smiling and his cheeks are flushed ruddy and you are instantly struck with an overwhelming desire to kiss all of his warm spots.   “We shouldn’t stay too long.” He murmurs a bit raggedly and although you sigh a bit regretfully, you don’t object because you are trying this new thing out called _respecting boundaries_ and it sucks.

 

“Can we explore a couple more rooms on the way back?” You say this with as much innocence as you can muster, which really isn’t any at all since Teddy can see straight through you. When he chuckles under his breath and shakes his head you beam proudly and follow him back through the door into the vacant corridor beyond.

 

It takes a another solid hour to find your way back to the exit, and although Teddy would be quick to blame you and your need to _christen_ every new room with lengthy snogs, he knows that he is just as much at fault as you are. When you step out of the Room of Requirement together you linger long enough to watch the door slowly disappear before you head back towards the moving staircases that would take you back down into the heart of the castle. “Wait,” You hiss at the top of the first staircase and you cast a stealthy glance about before your hand twists in the front of his robes and tug him close enough to impart a fleeting kiss to his unsuspecting lips. Instead of stiffening awkwardly like he used to Teddy melts just a little bit because now that he has accepted his love for you, he is slowly becoming powerless to your charms.  Teddy isn’t sure how long he can pacify you with secreted away snogs, he remembers all to well what it feels like to be your age and he also knows that you are far more flippant and reckless than he ever was. A very large part of him is terrified that you will be caught together in a compromising position somewhere but he tries not to think about it like that because he really can’t fucking help himself—He just hopes you have enough skills in strategic sneakiness to cover _both_ your arses.

 

           

                        ~@~

 

It is three days after your first venture in the Room of Requirement with Teddy and the memory of his kisses still stings on your lips. You aren’t afforded nearly as much time as you would like this year because not only do you have N.E.W.T.S. to study for, but you’ve got a Quidditch team to lead to house victory, on top of all of your head boy duties. Classes seem to pass you by in the blink of an eye and although your mind _should_ be on the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw game this afternoon, all you can really think about is the shape of Teddy’s mouth and how it fit so flawlessly against your own.

 

You find your mind wandering back to his kisses at the most inopportune times and you have given up trying to fight it. For the most part, your friends and housemates are utterly unaware of any change in you because you have always been flawless at hiding things when you really want to, although you _have_ caught Sebastian peering at you curiously in the middle of class on more than one occasion.

 

“What’s up with you lately?” he leans over and whispers in your ear during double Charms and when you shrug dismissively he is not quick to believe you because he knows you better than that. “Just thinking about the game.” You lie with honed ease, and then you offer him a grin and a wink and he doesn’t ask again.

 

The match with Ravenclaw draws just about every living soul out of the castle and the stands are filled to capacity. You can hear the dull roar of the crowds from within the team locker room and you smirk at your reflection in the mirror as you buckle your gear into place and you know that it’s going to be a good game.

  
Quidditch has always been everything to you, even from a very early age. You have attended every single World Cup game since you were old enough to demand it and every year you dream about the day that it would be _you_ flying for one of the famous teams. Your love of the game was a natural way for you to bond with your mum, and as such you consider yourself her favorite because you are _clearly_ the most promising prospect to fly professionally of her children. As a child you would sit on her lap and listen in rapt attention as she regaled you with exciting tales of her brief stint into the world of professional Quidditch and you were utterly awestruck. As you got older you realized that her abrupt departure from the sport was because of you, and although there was a brief period when you felt guilty about ending her career, you always knew that one day you could take to the air and fly for you both.

 

The loud voice of the announcer signaled the start of the game and as you led your team out of the locker room you were met with a deafening chorus of cheers from the crowd. The moment you stepped onto the pitch your blood began pulsing hotly in your veins and the thrill of the game that you couldn’t get enough of took over.  The noise of the crowd reached a fever pitch and once you and your team kicked off into the air, instinct took over.  Quidditch was a perfect distraction for you and you snorted at yourself for not realizing it before. When you were speeding across the pitch dodging bludgers with a quaffle under your arm, there was no time to think about Teddy or the softness of his kisses and how his love made you feel, and when you aimed your ball at the Ravenclaw hoops and took your shot, the first goal went to you and that set the tone for the entire game.

 

You never saw Teddy seated in the stands amongst the other Professors, but that doesn’t mean that you didn’t feel his presence or garner strength from it. This was the first game Teddy got to watch you play and to say that he was in awe would be an understatement. There were so many things that he did not yet know about you and it never ceased to amaze him how often he was pleasantly surprised. You’d been steadily breaking down his misconceptions about what he _thought_ he knew about you for months now, and this was just another moment in a long line. There was no denying that you were a natural in the air. The instruments of the game were more like extensions of your body than separate entities and the way you lead your team humbled him right in his seat. The crowd absolutely adored you and every time you zoomed past the Gryffindor stands on your broom, a sea of fellow housemates screamed your name. Even though Teddy knew he should be rooting for his house team, he couldn’t help but silently hope you took the entire game and by the time Gryffindor won the match, he was aching to steal you away for a moment or two because maybe the thrill of the game was affecting him too.

 

By the time you leave the locker room the rest of your team had already returned to Gryffindor tower to start up the post-game celebrations. Since you take your job as team captain seriously, you never leave until you are certain everything is put away and accounted for. The pitch is deathly quiet when you cut across the lush grass towards the shed that housed extra brooms and the game balls. The sun had just about disappeared beyond the horizon and although your hair is still damp from the showers, your blood is still pumping hard enough to keep the cold at bay. Once you are satisfied with the equipment you lock up the shed and head off the pitch towards the castle. When Teddy turns up you are pleasantly surprised and suddenly, the last thing you want to do is return to the party already in progress.

 

“Enjoy the game?” You drawl casually, grinning as he falls into step beside you. Teddy’s hair is like a vibrant turquoise beacon in the night and you want nothing more than to steal him away into the nearest shadow and snog him senseless except there was that whole stupid _respecting boundaries_ thing you were trying out and it still sucks.

 

“I did, yes. I had no idea how good you were.” Although it is hard to tell in the darkness, Teddy flushes slightly when he speaks. “I am good.” You say with a grin, and then you lean close enough to nudge him and whisper “but when I’m bad I’m better,” and you don’t miss the strangled laugh beside you. “Don’t I know it.” He mutters under his breath and then you swallow thickly because there isn’t nearly enough privacy in the middle of the grounds for you to tackle him without being spotted.

 

“Let’s walk for a while, yeah?” It is Teddy who suggests the detour and you are not about to protest, so you nod and let him lead the way.

 

When he veers off of the path that leads to the castle and heads instead towards the greenhouses that flank the edge of the forbidden forest your pulse quickens and you grin sidelong at him as you walk side by side. “Trying to get me alone?” You ask playfully and when he only smirks in response your throat goes completely dry. By the time the two of you hit the border of the lawn the shadows of night have effectively swallowed you both up and you take the opportunity to slide your hand into his and he does not object.

 

“You really were great up there today.” He says with a smile and his expression is so genuine and utterly _Teddy_ that you can only smile back.   “Thanks, I’m glad you came out to watch.” Your reply is honest and void of any of your trademark sarcasm and it twists Teddy’s insides because he knows how rare a gift it is to see you like this.

 

When he leads you in a wide girth around the whomping willow you are reminded of Halloween and you can’t help but frown slightly. You hadn’t really talked much about that night and what you both had seen in that underground tunnel. You’ve been scared to bring it up because you know how hard it must have been for Teddy, and in all honesty it was your fault he was down there in the first place. It’s behind greenhouse seven when you come to a stop and turn to face him and you look at him, really _look_ at him like you haven’t in a long time.

 

“Did you really mean what you said that night?” You know it is stupid to ask him such a thing; Teddy has made it more than obvious that he is serious in the way that he reciprocates your advances instead of pushing you away. But it’s more than that, and you hope that he understands what you mean. 

 

Teddy sighed heavily and gazed back at you in the darkness. He had known it was only a matter of time before this came up and he was determined to do things right this time; it was the least that you deserved. “Halloween was the first time I’ve been honest with myself, and with you, in a long time Jamie. I’ve been struggling with what I thought was right and what I knew I shouldn’t want, and I’m sorry that I put you through all that I did. I mean every word of it, I can finally say that to you.”

 

His words weigh heavy on your soul and you are once again inwardly impressed with Teddy’s keen ability to effectively silence you. You have waited so long to hear him say those words to you and actually mean them and now more than ever you wanted every part of him for yourself, rules and boundaries be damned. When he takes a step closer to you, your breath catches behind your teeth and when his arms snake around you and rest against the small of your back you melt against him and he is right there to catch you. You seek his kiss in the dusky moonlight and the fresh sting of his lips against yours is enough to pucker your bare arms in gooseflesh and send a shiver straight down your spine. It takes every ounce of self control that you can harness to resist the urge to shove him firmly against the back of the greenhouse and press yourself against him, and when you let him lead the kiss he is instantly drunk on the power he wields over you.

 

No one can make you feel like Teddy does and it doesn’t take very long at all before _he_ has _you_ pressed up against the greenhouse wall and the way his fingertips curl into your clothed hipbones is enough to draw the tiniest whimper out of you.  Your fingers twist urgently in his hair and when he presses up against you _just like that_ your teeth nip sharply enough on his bottom lip to make him groan impatiently, although it sounds more like a soft growl to your buzzing ears. You feel like you are slowly burning from the inside out and every time his mouth presses against your lips and your neck it feels like wildfire and it threatens to consume you.  You are fully aware that Teddy is effectively ruining you for the rest of the world and you don’t fucking care because you know that there is no one else that can make you feel like you are constantly teetering somewhere between heaven and hell quite like he does.

 

“Jamie we should…” His words are like the most painful stab to your heart and you pull him closer by his hair and tell him to shut up because you refuse to let him say it. “Don’t,” you mutter warningly between grit teeth and when he sighs into your open mouth and presses himself so firmly against you that there is nothing left between, you know that he has already given in.

 

The friction is maddening and delicious and forbidden and you are desperate for more and he seems to know just what you need because he’s not stopping and your head is spinning out of control just like this moment and you hope to fucking hell that this isn’t a dream.

 

Teddy is done with telling himself no and done with denying the inevitable. Of course there has to be a modicum of tact, but this was something different and he couldn’t have stopped even if he wanted to. He is always the strong one, the sensible one, and maybe for just tonight he wanted to live without worrying about the consequence. The thrill of the moment and the suspended possibility of getting caught were only secondary to the fact that it was you he was with. You were certainly not the first boy he’d snogged and maybe you wouldn’t be the last, but you were the one who meant the most to him. The one he loved.  Every soft whimper that escapes past your lips is like the most sinful music to Teddy’s ears and he pushes you both farther because he cannot help himself; he wants to collect all of your whimpers just like he does your kisses and keep them all for himself. 

 

You are so hard in your jeans that it is maddening and Teddy has taken to frotting against you like he was a schoolboy all over again. He knows that he doesn’t have nearly enough willpower to avoid sex forever, but he tells himself this will have to do until you are an adult in all regards and it has to be enough. At this point you are not really in a position to object because every time Teddy’s body rolls against yours it threatens to send you spiraling into sensory overload.  Your fingers are curled around his neck and when he kisses you it’s like wild animals fighting for survival and you pant breathlessly because you never want him to stop but you don’t know how to tell him.  For his part Teddy is just as breathless as you are and when his fingers curl painfully into your hips and his mutters your name dryly against your ear you shudder softly and drop your head back against the unforgiving wall behind you. By the time it is over you have both made an indecent mess in your pants and when he leans against you and kisses you slowly you smile into his mouth because you’ve never been so fucking happy in your life.

 

“I feel like a teenager all over again.” Teddy muses between a breathless chuckle and when the bridge of his nose colors you laugh too.

 

“You’re just Teddy to me.” You say and when he gazes back at you his smile falters just a little bit and the weight of your words hit him square in the chest. 

 

“I love you,” He murmurs quietly and strokes your cheek with the pads of his fingertips.

 

“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.” You reply just as quietly and when he leans in to kiss you again, the strands of his hair slowly morph from turquoise to purple and it cracks your heart clean in half.

 

By the time you finally make it to the party in the Gryffindor tower, your friends and teammates are properly intoxicated and they toast you loudly and heartily like they hadn’t even noticed your absence. Sebastian does not miss the shallow cut on your forearm or the way you looked like you just got shagged against the side of a building (hey, he’s not far off!), but he says nothing because he knows that if you need to talk, you will let him know.  The rest of the night passes you by in a blur of laughter, drinking, and animated retellings of the earlier match and without even realizing it, you are much more at ease with your friends than you have been in a long time. No longer do you need to obsess over Teddy and how much he kills you inside because the impossible is possible and you are _just_ determined enough to never let that change.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Color of Seduction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2752553) by [unkissed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unkissed/pseuds/unkissed)




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